Bushrangers
The Bushrangers are a rough coalition of Post-War survivalists, mercenaries and philanthropists who act as the protection force for numerous settlements in New South Wales and Victoria. Originally founded only a decade after the war, the Bushies have split into numerous different sub-groups, catering to numerous different clientele. Despite a mixed history, they are seen by many in the wasteland as a force of good. History The Bushrangers came into existence in 2087. Since 2077, Camp FC and Camp K had maintained limited yet continuous radio contact. Camp K had remained under the impression that FC was a refugee camp like them, working to improve the lives of the common people in Australia. This, of course, was not true - FC catered only to the rich and well connected. While Camp K dealt with radiation sickness, disease, and theft, Camp FC worried about the 'ruffians' trying to get through their walls and what food the chefs are going to cook up tonight. Camp FC was worried about their image, however, and so made it seem as if they were helping the common man in the same way Camp K was. Camp K and Camp FC united as the Bushrangers for two reasons. Camp K wished to create a strong, united faction which could better aid the people of the wasteland. Camp FC wished to unite with the refugees and soldiers at Camp K to improve their 'image' - the higher echelons of the camp were Pre-War politicians and industrialists and still worried about what the public thought of them. Linking up with the 'do-gooders' in Camp K seemed like the best way to improve it. Camp K was the cause of the wasteland saviours that patrol New South Wales today, while Camp FC was the progenitor group to the Mercenaries and Survivalists that patrol Victoria. The Bushrangers were founded to protect the common man. Colonel Fitzgerald had seen the suffering at Camp K first hand and was aware that the man out in the wasteland did not have the tools or knowledge that even the camp had. He envisioned a guardian angel for those without protection, a helping hand for those suffering famine and a saviour to the sick and needy. The Bushies, as they became known, were to be the protectors and saviours of the wasteland. The Mutie War (2087-2090) Camp K was ecstatic to finally be able to make a difference in the wasteland. Abandoning the Pre-War orders of 'attending to refugees', the Bushies could finally do some good. Mutants had commonly attacked Camp K (and occasionally Camp FC). The Bushies began the so-called Mutie War, where they patrolled the roads and hills around Camp K, dealing with the packs of ghouls and other nightmares that occupied the wasteland. For the most part, they were highly successful; mutant attacks on small settlements dramatically decreased and most settlements reported a significant decrease in fatalities. This conflict took a sour turn in 2090, ultimately leading to the end of the conflict. Bushies west of Camp K had heard reports of a large town (known Pre-War as Mount Victoria) occupied by approximately 100 ghouls. A number this large was a serious threat to Post-War communities and so a large force of Bushies was assembled. Equipped with the heaviest weapons, including miniguns and missile launchers, the soldiers descended upon the town, shooting any ghoul seen. It was only after the town had been cleared that a caravan pulled in, hoping to trade with the prosperous town of Mount Victoria, that the Bushies realised the mistake they had made. Fall to Irrelevance The Massacre at Mount Victoria, as it became known, drastically lowered morale within the Bushrangers but, if anything, made them more popular with outside settlements. Settlements that had previously been wary of the Bushies welcomed them in with open arms to rid them of their 'Ghoul problem.' Fitzgerald was distraught with the Massacre and it thoroughly stifled his previously limitless energy. Camp FC didn't care as much, although they did express their pleasure at the eradication of 'dangerous mutants.' For the next two years, the Bushies operated at significantly lower efficiency - patrols were morose and short and the soldiers in the field did not respond to as many threats as they had done in previous years. This lack of energy and efficiency had long-term effects on the Bushies. Towns invested more heavily in their own defence forces, forming militias, town guards and posses to defend themselves. As they received nothing from the Bushies, towns stopped supplying them with food, water and ammunition. This, in turn, caused Bushranger patrols to decrease in scale and length and prevented them from tackling a great number of threats. The Mount Victoria Massacre not only lowered morale but actually created an environment in which the Bushrangers could only decrease in efficiency and reputation. Return to Importance By the start of the 22nd century, the Bushrangers were in dire straits. Attrition had brought down the Bushrangers numbers in New South Wales and lingering ghoul populations - as well as mutants, raiders and other undesirables - had attacked, bringing down the stock of functional weapons, ammunition and other supplies. Especially bad attacks in 2193, '95 and '98 had brought the number of loyal Bushrangers down to only 550. It seemed they would likely be killed off, overwhelmed and ended in the cruel wasteland. This changed in February 2101. An overwhelming attack by The Scrapped on Tumblin' Cliffs had all but wiped out the town, leaving only one survivor: Linda Horsendale. Linda was a Post-War child, raised on Pre-War food and Post-War fruits. Born in Tumblin' Cliffs, she had seen little of the world but had heard stories of the Old World and of the Bushrangers, both seemingly brave and honourable men and women. Confronted with her whole life in ruin, Linda ran to the one group she was told would save her: the Bushrangers. Linda arrived at the ragged and pock-marked gates to Camp K on 20th February. The guards let her in but warned the woman that she would find little help in the all but abandoned camp. However, when she approached the Colonel - now an old and battered man - he was taken in with her story. She didn't need mediation with a rival town or long-term protection, she needed revenge. This was something the Bushrangers were established for. The Bushie-Scrapped War (February 2101- August 2102) At dawn of the 21st, the Colonel personally assembled a platoon-sized unit of men fit for duty against human and robot combatants. Equipped with Pre-War military equipment - including Rockwell rifles, combat armour and even mobile radios - the platoon was made up of the finest members still remaining with Bushrangers. It was a combat force fully equipped to deal with the toughest of wasteland raiders and proved highly combat effective. The gang which had sacked Tumblin' had occupied the area, pausing on their warpath to drink and revel in their victory. This left the 25-strong gang hungover and unconscious at dawn when the Bushies attacked. For the motivated veterans, their work had never been easier. The Scrapped was wiped out to the man with only one casualty - a curious recruit who powered on a Protectron. The Bushie-Scrapped War was an entirely different conflict to the previous Mutant War. To fight ferals, you establish a defensive position, stockpile ammunition and bait them out. The Scrapped consisted of semi-intelligent humans and armoured, well-armed robots. Raiders would employ ambushes, baiting the Bushies into vulnerable positions then hitting them with small arms and robot fire. It was only through sheer belief in their mission that the Bushies were able to push through the casualty-heavy first months. The war ultimately proved to be a highly beneficial event for the Bushrangers. The Scrapped had wiped out numerous settlements in the Western Suburbs and terrorised those that remained. While the war was devasting to certain areas, it proved highly beneficial to those affiliated with the Bushrangers. Tumblin' Cliffs, after its recovery, made a tidy living providing guides to the Bushies in the area and even established a radio for use by them. Scavengers from around the Blue Mountains made a killing hauling Rockwell guns to Camp K. When the war concluded in August, 2102, the Bushrangers were in a significantly stronger position. Competent leaders had replaced incompetents, tactics had been refined and weapons stockpiled, a threat had been eradicated from the wasteland, and the Bushrangers had shaken off the slump they had been resting in since 2090. Peacekeepers, Protectors and Prisoners The Bushie-Scrapped War left the Bushrangers in a position of unprecedented power in the New South Wales wasteland. Flush with combat veterans and supplies, the organisation could have moved towards any number of direction. With the death of Colonel Fitzgerald in January, 2103, the Bushies were unsure as to what to do. Surprisingly, the disgraced Major Dennis Erikes - known for his dismissal during the war - rose to the position of Colonel. While his cautious nature proved problematic during the war, his experience both prior to and during the war marked him as a capable field commander and diligent administrator. The fact his competition was a hot-headed woman also aided his rise to power in the male-dominated army. Erikes nerve as a military commander had been lost during the war. Having ducked one missile too many, he had no nerve for combat and showed many signs of shellshock. His administrative abilities were still in good condition, however. He recalled and reorganised troops, established the Woodford Fort in 2107 and clearing the Great Western Highway up until this point. Pacified, safe land led to the introduction of settlers and communities who provided the Bushrangers with food and manpower. The Bushies also used this relative peace and influx of resources to expand outwards. In 2104, Erikes sent a force up North to Queensland. Radio interference prevented knowledge of the outcome of this expedition arriving back in Camp K. While the Bushrangers didn't go through any large-scale events as they did under Fitzgerald, casualties were low and successes - while only small-scale - were common. From 2103 till the 2130s, the Bushrangers kept peace and order, not rocking the boat, but making sure it certainly didn't capsize. When Erikes passed away in 2134, he was succeeded by Sasha Lai's daughter, Mariah. Mariah railed against her mother's methods, persevering with Erikes' peacekeeping. The Easter Frontier was quiet and the settlements in the west were running easily. A drought in the 2250s caused large casualties across New South Wales, despite Bushie aid. The return of rain in 2157 was welcomed by all. Another drought in the 2160-61 summer put a damper on the recovery and a crop failure in 2169 only added to the suffering. Population growth had taken its toll on the fragile ecosystem and more frequent and severe failures were likely if settlements couldn't expand past the Blue Mountains. Mariah could not see this. She felt as if Sydney was still too dangerous, a territory of raiders and mutants only. She locked down the Great Western Highway, preventing settlers from moving east. This not only caused disdain towards the Bushrangers by settlers but also internal dispute against Mariah. The Bushrangers could not always prevent this influx however and with the death of Mariah in 2183, the Great Western Highway was re-opened. Settlers, citizens and refugees flooded from out of the Blue Mountains and into Sydney. Fade to Obscurity As the years went on, the skills the Bushrangers had - military discipline, equipment and training - began to fade in importance due to the rise of homegrown sources. In the hay-day of the re-occupation of Sydney in 2180-2210, the Bushrangers became a relevant force again, yet this faded once capable settlements arose again after 2220. The Bushies didn't sit idly by and wait this out - in 2213, the established the Hunter's Fort in Sydney, and the New South Wales Bushrangers sent a combat force down to Wollongong in 2234. In spite of these efforts, the 2200s were unmistakably a bad time for the Bushies. Grudges fade slowly and little goodwill was won by the begrudging willingness to let people expand out from the Blue Mountains. Starved of popular support, the Bushrangers slowly faded away from their importance. With fewer and fewer recruits coming in, attrition took a much greater effect on the Bushies. Expeditions to the Far North, the Gong and Victoria took massive tolls on the organisation. By the 2280s, the organisation is a shadow of its self, with barebones garrisons at strategic points along the Great Western Highway. The current Colonel, Alfred Deniz, is old and weak-willed. It is likely the organisation isn't much longer for the world. Government Sub-Units The Bushrangers traditionally consisted of a number of Companies under the command of a Colonel at Camp K. Over the years, this structure has decayed somewhat, with a greater number of independent groups falling under the Bushranger title. Traditionally, the units within the Bushrangers have been thus: The Bushwhackers The Bushwackers consisted of approximately 150-200 men and women. While their roots extend back as far as The Bushie-Scrapped War, the unit wasn't founded in their modern sense until 2203, when the Bushrangers made inroads into Sydney proper. The unit specialises in urban and close-range combat, supplementing their Semi-Automatic Rifles with .32 SMGs and fragmentation grenades. In 2287, they are commanded by Major Lucy Croft. The Mounties The Mounties are the oldest unit among the Bushrangers, with a history stemming all the way back to the organisation's foundation. Equipped with the standard Rockwell equipment, the Mounties are the bread and butter of the Bushies. They are still commanded by the same man, a Pre-War ghoul by the name of Major Jules Duro. Second Can The Second Can (Also known as Second Can of Whoop Ass) are a standard infantry regiment consisting of 200 soldiers. They are equipped in a similar manner to the Mounties, bearing Rockwell equipment and combat armour. Founded in 2127 as the sole unit to guard the eastern frontier, the unit is commanded in 2287 by Major Darren Long. Special Snowflakes The Special Snowflakes are a unit slightly large than the standard Bushie company, consisting of 250-300 soldiers. However, these units are subdivided between three main groups, who in turn act as their own individual units. The largest of these is the Lights, including approximately 130 Bushies and Brumbies. Second to this is the Oily Buggers - the engineers and artillerymen of the Bushies. Finally, the remaining 70 soldiers are true specialists. These soldiers each have particular skills - scouting, dealing with radiation, long distance expeditions - and always work in small groups. Relations Category:Groups Category:Mercenaries Category:New South Wales Category:Victoria